The year the file stops being about the engine and starts being about glass and screens — with seven recalls, the most of any Telluride year.

Separate from the glass, the mechanism fails. The wind deflector — the air dam that lifts at the front when the roof opens — snaps off and jams or wrecks the track. "Sunroof is stuck in an open position unable to be closed. Upon attempting to open the sunroof, the deflector snapped off the assembly and the sunroof track broke." The bills that follow are the point: "The only fix according to the dealer was to replace the entire unit which cost more than $5k with parts and labor." "The dealership indicated the sunroof is beyond repair and requires installation of an entirely brand new sunroof assembly at a cost of $5,730 because it occurred outside the warranty (warranty expired at 60,000 miles and the car had 70,463 miles when sunroof broke)." One owner was quoted "close to $400 JUST to find the problem", found the broken deflector himself in ten minutes, and priced the parts at "close to $4,000! Without labor!!" Kia has a bulletin for this covering 2019 to 2022 Tellurides built between 15 February 2019 and 19 January 2022, instructing dealers to perform "a partial replacement of the sunroof wind deflector and mechanism arms" where "the sunroof open/close operation [is] inoperative and/or the sunroof wind deflector function [is] inoperative". That is a parts-level repair. It is worth asking for by description before any assembly is quoted.

Kia recalled the 2022 Telluride's instrument cluster twice, for the same symptom and two different causes. Recall 21V577, Kia code SC215, covers 2022 cars whose "LCD display screen may remain blank after startup", failing the federal control-and-displays standard FMVSS 101 — a blank screen means no digital speedometer, no gear indicator, no odometer. The remedy was a cluster software update, letters mailed 3 August 2021. Then recall 22V344, Kia code SC237, covers 2022 cars where "excess adhesive in a circuit board within the instrument cluster may cause the instrument cluster display screen to be blank", and this time the remedy is to "replace the instrument cluster assembly", letters mailed 15 July 2022. That is Kia trying software first and hardware second on the same model year. Owners still report the symptom afterwards: "Upon starting car, digital odometer cluster is blank. While the cluster is down, the gas tank cap is also unable to be opened." "Driver LCD screen went blank." Ask which of the two campaigns this VIN received, and note that a car that has had the hardware replacement is in better shape than one that only got the reflash.

The 2022 Telluride runs a curved panel with a 12.3-inch instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. The infotainment half has its own failure, and unlike the cluster there is no campaign behind it. "Infotainment screen is blank most of the time. Backup camera works intermittently. Dealer confirmed head unit failure and stated software updates cannot be performed. Quoted approximately $7,500 for full replacement." "Most users are reporting Kia refuses to cover as a safety issue and is charging over $8,000 to replace the entire infotainment system." "My Kia Telluride backup camera and screen has become unusable with random colors, screen dark spots, blacking out, and pixelation." Kia does have a software service action, SA569, covering Display Audio 2.0 and AVN 5 Wide head units on 2022 to 2023 models for phone-projection faults — worth applying, but it is not a fix for a dead unit. This matters beyond convenience because the reversing camera lives on that screen: a failed head unit takes the backup camera with it. One owner in the file was quoted $1,200 for a camera assembly and replaced it himself.

Every Telluride year has this and 2022 has it loudly. "Windshield cracks so easily, slightest road debris creates a chip then crack." "The windshield cracked for no apparent reason. The crack was on the driver's side, about 16 inches long, starting near the top and curving around the driver's view." "We are replacing a second windshield in less than 2 years. Small pebbles start a chip, and the window companies try to fill the chip, but it cracks anyway. That's over $2,000 for 2 windshields." "I noticed a crack suddenly appearing on my car's windshield without any external impact." The lever is Kia's own paperwork. On 1 November 2019 Kia launched a Customer Satisfaction Initiative for all Telluride customers because "customers have reported windshield chipping followed by extensive cracking within a short period of time, preventing repair of the chip". Kia acknowledged that glass damage from outside influence is normally excluded from warranty, then asked dealers to "replace an affected Telluride customer's windshield under goodwill" after inspection, and offered to "reimburse customers for out-of-pocket expense previously incurred". It is goodwill rather than warranty, so eligibility is a dealer decision — but a notice with a date on it is a better argument than a description of the crack.

This one is easy to miss because it never became a recall. Kia ran a Voluntary Service Campaign, coded SC252A, SC252B and SC252C, on 2022 Tellurides built between 29 November 2021 and 1 September 2022, along with 2022 Sorentos and 2022 to 2023 K5s. The part is the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit, or HECU — the module that runs the electronic parking brake, the stability control and the auto-hold function. In Kia's words, it "may have been produced by the supplier with a condition that can result in an internal brake fluid leak", and if that happens, "the vehicle's EPB light, ABS light, ESC light, Auto-Hold light, and/or Forward Collision Avoidance Assist light may illuminate" and "EPB, ESC, and Auto Hold functions may be disabled". A 2022 Telluride owner describes receiving it: "that was for the wheel speed sensor — it's not a full-on recall but a voluntary service notice; essentially the wheel speed sensor can malfunction which can make your ABS kick in at low speeds." Because it is not a recall, it will not show up on a standard VIN recall lookup. Ask a Kia dealer to check the service-campaign history separately.

Two campaigns on this car carry a park-outside advisory. Recall 22V626, Kia code SC247, covers 2020 to 2022 Tellurides fitted with a Genuine Kia 4-pin tow hitch harness, factory-fitted or bought later: debris and moisture on the harness module circuit board "may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire". Recall 24V407, Kia code SC316, covers 2020 to 2024 cars whose front power seat motor "may overheat due to a stuck power seat slide knob, which can result in a fire while parked or driving". Then in July 2026 NHTSA opened 26V430, Kia code SC374, on the same seat — because the first repair was not enough. It now names "a stuck power seat slide knob or an improper recall 24V407 repair", the remedy changes to an electronic fuse assembly, 462,869 vehicles are affected, and Kia states plainly that "vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed". Owner letters are expected 13 August 2026. The 2022 file already contains the failure this describes: "Recall repairs done at original dealership (bought new). Passenger seat components that were repaired started an electrical fire under the passenger seat while vehicle was driving."

Recall 24V214, Kia code SC303, covers 2020 to 2024 Tellurides. The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft "may not be fully engaged, which can result in vehicle roll away while in PARK". Until repaired, Kia's instruction is to set the electric parking brake manually every time before getting out. Dealers update the parking brake software and replace damaged intermediate shafts free, and letters went out 15 May 2024; a news clip covering the campaign put the fleet at "more than 427,000" vehicles. There is a follow-up that people miss: Kia issued a subsequent repair action, SC303Z, to inspect and if necessary replace the right front driveshaft on 2020 to 2024 cars built through 19 October 2023 "that previously had the campaign SC303 completed". So a completed status on 24V214 is where the question begins.

Recall 22V509, Kia code SC244, covers 2022 Sorento and Telluride models that "may be equipped with an incorrect spare tire which, when installed, can impair the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and the traction control system (TCS)". They fail the federal tire-and-rim standard, FMVSS 110. Dealers inspect and replace the spare as necessary, free of charge, and letters went out 27 July 2022. This is the easiest recall on the list to verify yourself: lift the boot floor, find the spare, and check it against the label. It is also the easiest to have gone unfixed, because nobody looks at a spare until they need it — and the moment you need it is exactly the moment the anti-lock brakes matter.

The Telluride uses one engine in every year: a 3.8-litre direct-injected V6 from Hyundai and Kia's Lambda family, code G6DN. In the 2022 file its cluster is a minority rather than the main event, but the same failures appear. "The vehicle began showing serious safety related symptoms before the engine failed. These included engine knocking, repeated sensor failures, the speedometer and odometer blacking out while [driving]." "On three different occasions this car's engine shuts off on me sometimes at highway speeds. It is terrifying being in the left lane and losing all propulsion and power steering." And the good outcome, which is the one to aim for: "This repair cost me a total of $425. If I had not replaced or repaired oil filter housing, the engine would have locked up as all the oil ha[d] escaped onto the pavement." That $425 is the whole argument for checking. Kia's warranty extension WTY045 covers repairs related to "an engine oil leak from the oil filter housing gasket" on 2020 to 2025 Tellurides built between 9 January 2019 and 12 June 2025, "to all owners", raising coverage "from 5 years / 60,000 miles to 15 years / 180,000 miles". It covers the leak. It does not cover oil consumption, and there is no knock-sensor campaign or short-block extension anywhere in Kia's Telluride file.

The eight-speed automatic behind this V6 — designated A8LF1, also known as the A8A36 — draws a specific complaint on this model year, and Kia wrote software for it. Service action SA490 provides "the procedure to update the software logic of the Engine Control Unit (ECU) and Transmission Control Unit (TCU) on some 2022MY Sorento (MQ4a) vehicles and Telluride (ON) vehicles produced in the date ranges listed", for cars that "may exhibit rough shift and hesitation during acceleration". A review channel covering the model reports the same symptom from owners: "harsh shifting, particularly when the transmission is cold or during low-speed maneuvering… occasional shuddering or hesitation during acceleration." Kia's own bulletin is the corroboration that makes that claim usable rather than hearsay. If a 2022 hesitates off the line or shifts hard when cold, ask whether SA490 was applied before assuming the gearbox is worn. Separately, an independent review of this transmission family recommends a 40,000-mile fluid interval rather than the manual's 56,000 — cheap insurance on a car that has towed.

A small but distinctive 2022 electrical cluster. "The door locks will continually cycle to unlock on their own for up-to 90 seconds and then an error reads in the dashboard." "The door locks randomly unlock on [their own]." "Child safety lock is failing. I get a failure message every day and the doors are not being locked. Causing a safety problem for families with children." And one more: "Back seat locks repeatedly engage and disengage when activating childproof lock. This is intermittent and since dealership couldn't get it to occur they wouldn't fix it." There is no recall or campaign for this in Kia's Telluride file. It matters most on a three-row family car where the rear child locks are load-bearing, so test them deliberately: engage the child lock on both rear doors, then try each handle from inside. Intermittent faults that a dealer cannot reproduce do not get fixed, so a car that demonstrates the fault while you are standing there is, perversely, the better position to be in.